Overcast Dusk
by Yusei
Summary: Fate has turned its back on us. We, those captive to the war, will sink beneath the rocky landscape of this wretched place. Friends… are we to grasp each other's shoulders until sunlight pours on us again? Spoilers for Crashtown Arc.
1. Talon of Hell

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - Overcast Dusk**

~by Yusei ~

_**Summary -** "__Fate has turned its back on us. We, those captive to the war, will sink beneath the rocky landscape of this wretched place. Friends… are we to grasp each other's shoulders until sunlight pours on us again? Drabble, spoilers for Crashtown Arc._".  


___**Disclaimer - **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N - **Something that ran through my head after watching the recent episode. Yusei unlocking the shock collar around his neck relied solely on finding a loose nail in the wooden cuffs. So what if there wasn't one to find? While reading through the text currently focused on in English Lit., I began to think about what I could do to improve my first-person writing - and this is the result of the test I undertoook. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have posted this up without updating something else, but this is something that has been on my mind since Wednesday evening and been eager to try out - hopefully it's decent enough for people to enjoy. The opening chapter is pretty short, but I'll make up the length later on, when there's more to focus on in the particular chapter. Please read and review._

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The rhythmic crunch of the pickaxe penetrating the rocky wall resonated between the edges of my mind. How much time had passed, I could not predict. Perhaps hours, perhaps days, time meant nothing to someone who was blind to the sky - unable to feel the warmth of sunlight against his skin, oblivious to the hours in which it sunk beneath the horizon and flew across other skies. Any hope of witnessing the sight was dim; we were trapped in this hellhole.

The weak coughing of an exhausted man drew my eyes, one of the tanned prisoners that had lived in the town we had come from was bent over, fist before his opened mouth as droplets of saliva rained from the hole, his face screwed in agony and ill-health. One of his comrades inched towards him, resting a matching hand on his shoulder, his brow furrowed in concern for his friend. His jaws moved to ask the man if he was alright, in a fit state to continue.

From nowhere, a whip curved into my sight, the end snapping against the second man's back. A yell in agony rippled through the air and he fell beside his friend who watched, still hunched over. The whip holder snapped at the pair, the red scarf tied around his neck had become a symbol of power in this place and the town - the war between two gangs had come to an end. And it was my fault.

Tearing my eyes from the sight, I briefly locked eyes with the man standing opposite me, his icy blue hair hung over his shoulders, much longer than it had been the previous time I had encountered him six months ago. His golden eyes had grown dim with the lack of interest in life, little more than orbs to trap the light that poured in, seized by his retina to never shine outward again. That was what had become of my friend, Kiryu Kyosuke.

The once-proud leader of Team Satisfaction, a man driven by power until his arrest - someone who had been revived as a Dark Signer when he swore revenge… I believed that his death as an enemy had been the end of this new Kiryu; that the old Kiryu would be reborn and grace us with his presence. It seemed that way, but he had simply died more, sinking further into Hell. It saddened me in a way nothing else before had. His lack of hope and aspiration was draining mine. I felt far from myself; losing hope.

The crack of another whip and the following yell awakened us from our brief meeting, forcing our eyes to the rocky wall in front of us before we found ourselves targets of the lashing. Kiryu dug his pickaxe in again, pebbles falling from the penetration - he worked regardless of his failing stamina, just moments after we arrived he had been whipped twice, all to my horror. Me… unable to do anything, but stand and watch my friend suffer again. I failed him again, twice in one day no less.

His departure from Neo-Domino that half-year ago left me wondering if the erasing of his memories as a Dark Signer left him seething at me once again, for betraying him at the end of our comradeship. Looking back after our first battle, I could see where he was coming from - I had walked away, I didn't stay to help him, to _stop_ him. I could have saved him, but instead, I practically handed him over to the authorities. Those who we despised, who had invaded _our_ Satellite. That was all Kiryu saw in them, another enemy, and another force to deal with. He had taken things too far, if only I had stayed to convince him that he was wrong, that I wasn't weak. That _I_ was the one who was weak. Now he could barely look at me, was it because I had beaten him in that town named Crash?

Was it because I failed him again?

Or was it because he still hated me and this was his new way of dealing with it?

Footfalls sounded behind us, but neither of us dared to look, dared to risk the whip cracking against our backs which were beginning to ache after hours of the laborious task set to us. I lifted my arms above my head, driving the tool in my hands into the sturdy wall. The man sounded his suspicions of us, I could feel his left eyebrow rising, ripping his forehead. He moved on, though suspicious, he deemed we were of no trouble.

Just like dozens of times since our admittance to this hopeless place, I looked at my comrade again, tearing my drying lips apart to utter the same plea.

"Kiryu…"

Just as each time I had tried beforehand, there was no response; Kiryu continued his efforts in ploughing further into the wall of the mine we stood captive in. Literally prisoners of war; a war that had ended. The great Duel King, Fudo Yusei and his friend captives in a battle that he had won, betrayed by the woman who called him to Crashtown in order to save his friend - _how pathetic_.

But that was reality. My naïve trusting nature had led me into a trap, something I was always warned about. The letter calling for me to come to Crashtown in the hope rescuing Kiryu before the war claimed his life - that bitch, Barbara. Kiryu had been bait and I had been the trusting prey, far into the trap before I could even acknowledge it, it was only when Barbara's shotgun glimmered from amongst the gentle petals of the flowers she had told me would conceal the key to rescuing Kiryu after the duel's end - that same instant being as she fired at me, rendering my body powerless because of the shock it induced me with. She had been with Malcolm the whole time, probably grinning wildly when she learned that he and his Red Scarf clan had taken me in once I proved my abilities as a duellist, someone capable of fighting as an ally; to take on Kiryu.

Deep within, I felt like pounding my head against the solid wall in front of me rather than using the tool in my hands, I had been foolish and cost Kiryu his life again. How many times was I to get in his way and mess things up?

What were those words Lotten had said? _"Let's go to Hell, Fudo Yusei"_? An inward sigh occurred, I had literally been to Hell once, perhaps I would return there, stand disgraced before my father - what would he think? What would he say? I had been fighting for Kiryu, just as I tried in Satellite. And failed. Again.

"Kiryu…"

He claimed he would rather die than run away, was that what he accepted in Neo-Domino? In the Detention Centre? Had it not been for the Birthmark hiding in my blood at the time, would my beating Takasu have been running away from justice? The pointed end of steel dug into the wall again, creating another cavity, this tiresome assignment would never end. The Duel Disks I had seen upon entering the town were probably duellists that had perished out here, in these mines. And then Barbara had called Kiryu "near-death". I couldn't face the chance of him lying underneath the desert sand as a corpse, especially because of me. There had to be something I could do to redeem myself, to rescue him, to make up for everything I had done that caused him pain. The Marker tattooed on the right side of his face had been my fault, because I couldn't save him like he saved me. Kiryu, forgive me…

I will save you. I promise.

I will help you this time.

I won't walk away.

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YUSEI  
**01: Talon of Hell**

"_Fudo Yusei-sama_

_I have heard of the friendship between you and him and am writing this letter. Please… save him. I want you to take him away from this town. At this rate, he will be killed in this town"._

That was how the letter from Barbara read. The first step in luring me in like some stupid animal, ready to be tied and used as a sacrifice. Kiryu had already been strung by ropes, accepting a grim fate. She had told me that he had come to Crashtown like he was searching for somewhere to die - was I responsible for his drastic transformation? I could only question what had happened to him since he vanished as a Dark Signer; I had barely seen him since his revival as a normal human being. Perhaps his final feelings towards me before his death had returned to him, seething at my very existence, incapable of seeing me without the urge to wrap his hands around my neck.

Just like the sun that hung over the days of Team Satisfaction, leading to the stormy night that brought about the group perished, the sun had settled beneath the horizon, bringing about the end of 'Duel Time' in Crashtown. That was the time that sealed the fate of both Kiryu and me. Who knew how much time had passed since we strode away from Ramon - the man who had led the gang Kiryu had fought for, the man who called Kiryu "sensei". Someone who had been so confident on the battlefield, trembling once defeat swallowed him and spit him up here - the place everyone kept calling "Hell". Lotten had called it that, Kiryu called it that, those from the Malcolm family's gang called it that.

It was something I would have to accept - we had stepped into Hell's place on Earth. Old Momentum had served the purpose of being the gateway to the underworld, to the wretched place people feared of spending eternity in after their natural lives on the planet ended, but now there was somewhere else, perhaps this was the place where Hell was closest to the living world and lacking a gateway at the same time. Perhaps that was what drew Kiryu to Crashtown; perhaps he had sensed that about this place. He continued to insist he had died, but I refused to accept that - even with the longer hair and the darkened eyes, I was still looking at Kiryu, a man who I had been convinced for so long in the past I would never be able to meet again. I would never be capable of apologizing, and then, he appeared, as an enemy no less, yet we stood side by side… as friends. My fingers twitched, willing to drop the axe in my grasp and force Kiryu to look at me, no matter what punishment the Red Scarves would hand to me. I wanted to ensure that Kiryu knew I was here for him - that we were here together and that we would return together. Return to Neo-Domino.

"Kiryu…"

Crunch, again. The tip of the axe drove itself deeper into the hole that had appeared after dozens of swings of the tool, the relentless toiling Kiryu was pushing his body through.

"Please, don't force yourself to stay. Let's think of someway to leave this place".

Kiryu gave no response, silent as ever. It was more than simply frustrating; he was accepting this horrid fate, willing to die in such a place - what happened to the Kiryu that aspired to rule Satellite? Had the consequences of the war in the town awakened him to what could have happened when _we_ fought for ground? Had the defeated and disgraced teams crossed his mind? He was more difficult to read than ever, I wish I could have understood what was going on in his mind, accepting defeat was one thing, but Kiryu had given up on life. A thought that shook my heart.

If only there was something I could do.

* * *

The light bulbs overhead lit the wall in front, almost pouring heat over us to warm us throughout the bitter desert night. Beads of sweat were beginning to form against the skin of my forehead, arms and back screaming in agony from the repetitive actions, the incessant lifting and plunging of the axe. It felt like days had passed under the watchful eyes of the Red Scarves, one standing not too far behind Kiryu and myself, smirking unsympathetically as we continued to toil without any alternative. Kiryu's jaws shuddered with each blow he dealt the rocks before us, his body exhausted after what I could only assume as months of not caring about keeping a strong body, preparing himself for death. My heart shuddered seeing him so worn down, would those watching us like a man in charge of serfs even permit us to rest? How long did they expect us to continue like this?

The tip of Kiryu's axe hit a rock that clanged in response, knocking the tool from his hands, resulting in a simple sigh of disappointment that he couldn't hold onto it any longer. I turned to him, about to offer my assistance when the whip cracked against his back, forcing a cry of anguish from him and forcing him to his knees. The man withdrew his whip, tightening it around his fists as though he were about to strike again

"Don't go lazing around!" he bellowed.

"Kiryu!" was all I could say. I wanted to reach my hand out for him to take, but what if the man punished him again for being too tired to stand on his own? I had caused Kiryu enough pain, a habit I had to get out of as quickly as possible.

By his own will, Kiryu picked himself up, seizing his tool and resuming the task set as though nothing had happened. I watched, unable to understand how he could accept this - even if he was willing to die, why end his life this way?

"Hey, you too. Don't stand around!"

Without any other choice, I followed suit, driving the pickaxe into the rocky surface, but my eyes quickly travelled to Kiryu. He was far more important to me than simply obeying what the Red Scarves commanded, they could whip me until they drew as much blood as they desired, but Kiryu was who I was worried about. He had been dragged here because of me - because I had fallen for Barbara's false plea, for playing along with her plan and defeating Kiryu, handing over the town to the Red Scarves as Lotten arrived, who swiftly dealt Ramon a defeat before he could even play a card. Such a terrifying duellist, the man that Malcolm claimed was going to lead the Red Scarves once Kiryu was out of the way.

The tools in our hands could easily turn against those standing like authority as weapons, the only problem with that were the metal collars around our necks, identical to those around the necks of three fleeing duellists of the Ramon gang shortly before I crossed the barrier of Crashtown. All the Red Scarves had to do was place a card in their Duel Disks and they gained the ability to shock anyone wearing the collar - we would be rendered powerless and drop to the ground before we could retaliate, that was their manner of holding us here. That was the threat they dangled over us. There was nothing we could find to release our necks from the accessories, even if it were possible, there would be no opportunity to pick the locks and undo them, liberating us from the card they held up their sleeves, eliminate their advantage.

For now, we would have to bite our tongues and submit, but there was no chance we would do so until we left this world, there were people waiting for us. Even when thinking of the past, I did all I could to refrain myself from thinking of those dearest to us, the friends that we held beside our hearts, hoping they weren't worried about how I was doing, where I had gone. All I had told them that I was heading out on an errand for someone and could take a few days - that same amount of time would elapse soon enough; hopefully, they were keeping themselves occupied with the daily life we had adjusted to. Life in Satellite had been rough, but never this rough, we had learned to appreciate what we had in Neo-Domino.

The days of the past… they felt like another world, like I had stepped onto another planet when I entered Crashtown, disbelieving my luck when I could face Kiryu and hopefully liberate him from the chains that bound him to this land. That simple desire blinded me to everything else - the fatal error that led to our downfall, I had dragged Kiryu down. He was suffering again. I prayed in the safety of my mind - the one secure place, somewhere that Malcolm couldn't get to and claim as his own - that there would be a way to spare him any more torment.

There had to be a way. A way to put an end to this.

"All's fair in love and war" they say, but this isn't about fairness anymore. No matter what war, where we were was wrong and should never have happened. Duel Monsters wasn't meant to be a source of justice, to weed out the weak and send them to their graves, especially in such an appalling manner. I had told Barbara that there was no duellist left in Kiryu, but there was no justice in her. The man that Kiryu had defeated may have been released from this hell, a former member of the Red Scarves returned to the clan he stood alongside. Perhaps we could escape and live again…

Sometime.

I don't know when.

But I swore on my life that I would get Kiryu out, give him the life he abandoned - it would be the least I could do. And I would, I couldn't be sure how, but I wouldn't allow his suffering to continue. He had been broken enough, someone more fitting should suffer, not Kiryu. Not someone who just wanted to have fun and took it too far.

I watched him again, letting the pickaxe hang by my side. He was lost in the work, oblivious to everything around him. It reminded me during the days of building the D-Wheel I had used to escape Satellite - the D-Wheel that was probably in Malcolm's possession, snickering about how much he could squeeze out of someone for it. Or perhaps insisting he wanted it for himself, testing it out like his vehicle was nothing - I could only wonder. There was no doubt that Barbara would have revealed its hiding place and returned to show it proudly to Malcolm and Lotten - a trophy like the town they had won.

The rubble falling from the rock hit the ground, collapsing into dust. Kiryu swung the pickaxe down again, drawing out more to follow in the path of their predecessors. From behind, the man grunted, tugging on his whip with the intention of striking again. Like an obedient child, I focused on the axe by my side, raising it again and driving it into the rock face. What more could I do at that moment?

What more could _we_ do but temporarily submit?

Temporarily - we would walk out of Hell alive, I had done it once before. Perhaps my father wasn't there to guide me past the River Styx, but I would find my own way back, and bring Kiryu with me, whether he wanted to come or not into the brightness of life. I would remind him what living meant, why he should throw his life away again.

I would atone for how I had failed two years ago, and how I had failed here in the distant town. I would bring the true Kiryu back, something I swore to myself. I couldn't return to Neo-Domino with him.

I couldn't return without Kiryu.

_Our_ Kiryu.


	2. Encased in Darkness

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - Overcast Dusk**

~by Yusei ~

_**Summary -** "__Fate has turned its back on us. We, those captive to the war, will sink beneath the rocky landscape of this wretched place. Friends… are we to grasp each other's shoulders until sunlight pours on us again? Drabble, spoilers for Crashtown Arc._".  


___**Disclaimer - **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N - **Taking advantage of the night after exams finished, I got around to finishing this. I'd like to extend thanks to those who have responded to this with either reviews, favouriting or subscribing. With the close of the Crashtown arc yesterday, I'd like to say that anything that occurs in this that resembles the events of the canon are in no way trying to rip off the original - the basics of this, including three potential endings, were put together in the week in which this was planned and published. Please read and review._

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Shards of glass scattered wildly, threatening to pierce the skin of my arms and face, tear my clothes open, draw blood, rip me apart. Those possibilities were no concern while my body twisted in the air like a ball having been launched across a field of dust and dirt. My boots hit the ground, stopping me from crashing to the ground gracelessly, the Duel Disk attached to my left arm activating as though thoughts were strong enough to move it. He laughed, grateful that those who had stood by his side at one point had returned. The comrades he thought had turned their back on him; the terrorist-style assault had been a success in more ways than one. Security had flooded Satellite in their hundreds, all searching the man that had devastated their headquarters in Neo-Domino. The three of us gathered in the glaring spotlight, facing that deranged man we once called "leader", he had progressed into madness. He came to us some time ago, what felt like years, with the proposal to fight in the turf war that had begun in Satellite, joining forces to become a team: Team Satisfaction. We would make Satellite a place worthy of living in.

Every duelling gang fell to our power, every lone duellist fled at the shadows we cast as we strode towards them. No-one could stop us. The icy-blue haired man crossed the room towards us, laying a hand on my shoulder, another around Crow's, laughing with glee. We were together again - Security had surrounded us and we would pull off a miraculous escape, live again to fight whoever threatened our land, _our_ Satellite. Security was simply another obstacle standing in our way. That was how he viewed it, and looking back, I understand what he meant. We had won Satellite far and square, now they didn't like how things had played out and come to stop us, furious when we fought back. No… when _Kiryu_ fought back. I was too scared, unable to stand against authority that could do anything to us if we stepped out of line. Kiryu's plan wasn't suicide alone, it was a statement to those of Satellite, to stand and fight, tackle whatever came our way. And nobody listened, fearful of Neo-Domino's ruthless authority.

The glaring spotlights faded when Kiryu turned back to us, standing at the window after declaring that Team Satisfaction's last duel was upon us. Rain pelted everything, the sound similar to a thousand small feet, the feet of children left to fend for themselves on this forlorn isle - children that would struggle as Crow did, children that would find refuge with others like Martha, someone to take care of them. A circle of light passed, the spotlights had been set to rotate after the entrance that Jack and Crow had made, leaping over two Security officers who watched in awe, unsure whether they were vigilantes or aides of their target - the leader of Team Satisfaction.

The was the opportunity we took, he was staring out and chuckling at the sight of so many officials gathered in the streets, unable to touch him from their current positions - this wasn't like a real standoff, there were no guns or snipers positioned in places where they could get a lock on his head to see his movements, we weren't hostages that they were determined to rescue - even if we were, they would pay minimal attention to us, we meant nothing to them. The Duel Disks attached to our arms disconnected, the weapons moved into an offensive position hit the table, drawing his puzzled eyes.

"Hey!" he called, dashing across the room to us. "What is this? Aren't we going to fight together? Our last duel!" A fist rose, opening up into a hand as he pointing aimlessly, each finger aimed towards the sky. He had been prepared to fight alone just before our arrival, slotting cards into his Duel Disk and activating it when heavy footfalls sounded on the other side of the door, ready to face officers when Jack and Crow entered, followed by my crashing through the window.

"Open your eyes, Kiryu" Jack mumbled.

"There's no way we can win if we go up against Security" Crow added in the same low tone.

"You guys…" he growled, unable to take in the fact that we were too gutless to fight, that we had seen sense.

"Kiryu… we're running away" I finally insisted.

Kiryu laughed, pressing the palm of his right hand against his hip, his eyes held the same deranged look that I had seen when I turned away as he proposed we tackle Security. There had been a glimmer I caught, shrugging it off as my imagination - the fact that he had gone through with his bizarre plan was simply proof that he was dead serious. And I should have taken him as such.

"You can't be satisfied with that. We're going to defeat Security and become the first rulers of Satellite. Let's do it, our duel!"

His face moved towards Jack and then me - the loss of reason in his eyes was stunning, was this what was in the eyes of those that governed Neo-Domino, corrupted by power and boredom. I feared for Kiryu, this wasn't the man that proposed the beginning of Team Satisfaction. This was a mad man, someone I nearly feared. In his reduced pupils, I searched for the Kiryu I knew.

"We aren't all aiming for the same thing anymore" Jack protested in a serene manner that barely suited him. It was true, I had heard that Crow was looking after youngster that had been born a number of years ago; Jack had found a home in an abandoned theatre with a clear view of the moon that lit the interior around the throne he had adopted as his own. I had yet to find my place.

"What?"

"Even so, we're still friends" I insisted. "We want to save you from Security". I stepped forward, reducing the distance between us, ready to raise a hand for him to take, so we could walk away together, between Jack and Crow. "Kiryu!"

He retreated in an unstable manner, swaying from side to side, horrified by how things had played out, he was losing control - there was always a chance when Jack and Crow walked away, Kiryu and I would stay together. Yet I walked away, there was still hope that we would come to our senses and reunite. And we did. But not to fight Security as he wished. There was no hope.

"Why has it turned out like this?" he asked, shrinking down near a crouch as balled fists rose near his face, the same determination that raced through his veins since the struggle for territory began, maybe even before. "I… I… With you guys, I want to…"

He got no further when explosions rocked the place from outside, flinging dirt from the ground beneath, forcing it high enough to rise to the shattered windows in diagonal pillars.

"Security is starting to attack" I exclaimed.

The officers rushed in, the sirens of D-Wheels racing around blared wildly. The four of us were forced to dash from the invading authorities, diving out of the windows and descend into the streets pelted from tears of the sky - Crow, then me, followed by Jack and finally Kiryu. Together, we fled, racing from the wailing sirens, from the harsh spotlights searching for us.

Running.

Running for what felt like forever.

Together, as a team. Once again.

Once we reached the bottom of a decline, lined with mounds of dirt that towered over us, old appliances stranded like lost souls, Jack turned to the rest of us.

"We'll just have to split up and rendezvous later, we'll just have to iron out the details later" the blonde commanded, watching over us with his piercing violet eyes.

Without a further word, he turned on his heels and darted away to the east, leaving Kiryu, Crow and I to stand together briefly. The redhead eyed Kiryu, concern for his friend flashing across his eyes briefly before he took off, following suit and heading west. Kiryu clenched his jaws, irritated that he had been forced to flee from the battle he wished for us to fight as a team, his eyes fell to the Duel Disk strapped to his left wrist, I followed. Jack, Crow and I had regained our Duel Disks in the panic to escape, ensuring we had grabbed our own during the mad dash with our lives on the line.

Kiryu continued ahead, continuing in the southern direction we had been moving in during our last steps together. I, however, stayed. Security was no doubt a distance behind with the lack of sounds and lights trailing us down the descent. But still, who was I meant to follow? I had yet to find the direction I would choose, and it wouldn't be long before our pursuers would ride along the top of the upper level, focusing their lights on me and leaving a minimal chance of escape. I betrayed Kiryu once, I couldn't let myself do so again - I followed him south.

Through my moment of delay, Kiryu had made a significant gap between us; the difference between our legs didn't help in the feeble attempt to catch him up. We entered a labyrinth of streets, losing Kiryu when he rushed ahead without the knowledge that I tried to keep up behind him. I lost him for a number of minutes, rushing around blindly before the roaring of an engine filled my ears. Praying Kiryu hadn't been discovered, I made my way in the direction of the revving. A light shone from an alleyway ahead, I made my way into the centre of the opening, finding a D-Wheel speeding towards me, and my body froze. Partially because I was as close to standing in the same way a deer did when faced with the lights of a car and partially because of what I saw - Kiryu was riding on the back, his arm around the neck of the Security rider.

"Kiryu! Stop it!" I demanded, but the two raced past, neither paying attention to where they were heading. "_Kiryu!_"

At the end of the street, the machine burst through a wooden fence, throwing both the officer and Kiryu from its seat. The man in uniform yelled in horror as he soared, Kiryu's face pointed at the sky. I raced after them, just hoping that Kiryu was alright, there was nothing more I could do.

When I approached the mouth of the back alley, I found him standing there, a wooden post in his hands. Standing over what looked like the corpse of the officer, blood leaking from wounds he had sustained as a result of the momentary flight. The same blood that clung to Kiryu's cheeks and clothes, slowly mixing with rainwater. The column rose about his head, ready to strike down the officer for good.

"_Kiryu!!_" I screamed, pushing my body's speed to its limits. Things had gotten way too out of hand, my arms opened as I dove at him, colliding with his right hip. "Stop!"

Together, we hit the ground, rolling like a couple of children playing a game of violence. We rolled to a halt, his legs between mine, his arms pinned against the watery concrete ground. Our eyes met, even for a moment, I pitied him. This was not Kiryu beneath me, but someone else. Someone who had taken Kiryu and twisted him into themselves. That's what I wanted so desperately to believe - that the true Kiryu would wake up and tell me that everything had been a nightmare. Or for me to wake up and realise that everything was alright. Not to be over my friend as we were, holding him back from murdering the officer, hearing his pleas to unite and destroy Security. To win… at all costs.

"Let me go, Yusei! We're going to defeat Security!" he bellowed desperately. I merely panted over him, slightly drained from the race across the region of Satellite that had been a battlefield for gangs, forcing down the urge for tears to spill from my eyes. Jack and Crow ran towards us side by side. "_Yusei!_" A chill scampered down my spine from the tone that Kiryu adopted, close to screaming wildly like a child desperate to get the one thing they truly desired.

Jack and Crow kept a grip on Kiryu's arms, dragging him from the alley while we found somewhere to hide, finding an old building with no use, much like thousands across Satellite. There were no eyes watching from behind the glassless holes in the walls of homes and businesses, no people standing out on the streets trying to find the cause of commotion. It was the closest we came to luck. The others dragged Kiryu inside, his struggling dying down into acceptance of his capture; I remained by the window, watching as Security's cars drove in circles around the area under the rain that fell heavily.

My eyes turned to the trio further in the room; a place left in a state after its previous owners abandoned it. A small table was upturned onto its side near Crow's feet, wooden panels that had once belonged to something much greater than their current state, left to rot alone. Kiryu panted heavily in Jack and Crow's grip, hunched over slightly as though he despised us for holding him prisoner.

"It's only a matter of time until they find us" Jack stated.

But my eyes were set on Kiryu, his pants matching those of an animal that had raced from certain death, adrenaline pumping freshly through his body, determination to overthrow Security remained clear in his eyes, flashing dangerously. I turned from him, watching the three over my shoulder - what I had planned was practically suicide, it may as well have been under Security's reign of authority, hauling people to some facility in the City, most never heard from again. But to protect Kiryu, to atone for my mistake in walking away… I was prepared to make such a sacrifice. Just so that he wouldn't have to endure Hell.

"Take care of Kiryu for me".

Rain poured over me, soaking me within a minute as I strolled along the streets, ready to face the hangman's noose. Three Security cars rolled ahead, each from a separate direction. Streams of water trickled down my hair, skin and clothes. All three sets of headlights poured over me, I raised an arm to prove I had come to confess, that I was the one they wanted. The plan that moved into a stage of no return, thinking of Jack, Crow and Kiryu together, in a much better time was what pushed me on.

"I'm Team Satisfaction's leader! I'm the one who bombed Security's headquarters!" I bellowed. A handful of Security officers approached with shields and batons, ready to strike me down for the terrorist act that I claimed responsibility for, the crime that they believed I had committed. "The other three have nothing to do with it. Arrest me!"

"Yusei…" came the weak plea from Crow.

My eyes widened when the half-dozen Security officers standing around Jack and Crow registered in my view, both looked regretful, Kiryu was nowhere in sight. The coldest chill of dread crawled through every fibre of my body, growing colder when the Captain's command echoed through the night air, to capture only the leader, and led two officers to drag out Kiryu. How had he been so sure that I _wasn't_ the leader? I had just confessed to Kiryu's sin, why had he not heeded the words I declared as my own and targeted him?

"Kiryu!" Each arm was held back by an officer, the one on Kiryu's left keeping his head down. "Kiryu!" Desperation pumped through me, turning me to face the Captain and yell furiously at him, the protest in Kiryu's defence. "Wait, you're wrong!"

"Look" the man uttered, as though he had been deaf to all the words I yelled. The officer that Kiryu had attacked lay on a stretched, a white sheet over most of his body, he seemed to be alive. "Injuring a member of Security is one of the worst crimes. You'll never meet him again".

His hand fell on my shoulder, chortling as though our friendship meant nothing to anyone. At that point, my fists balled, I wanted nothing more than to drill them into his face, wipe that disgusting smirk off his face. Then I could join Kiryu, then I could prove how I was meant to be the one locked away, I would defy that man's words and see Kiryu.

But before I could, that fateful misunderstanding occurred.

Kiryu glanced over his shoulder and witnessed the officer, patting my shoulder with his hand, grinning. Looking as though I had been an accomplice in his bid to end Team Satisfaction's reign over Satellite. Like he had known the damage he had sought had been caused, he turned away, leaving Kiryu to face me and me alone.

"_YUSEI!_" Every muscle in my body tensed, a gasp escaped my mouth - we had crossed the border of no return when he believed I betrayed him. How I wish I could have returned to that time and done something - _anything_ - to prove to him that I cared for him as a friend far more than I did about living in fear under Security's power. He tried to charge towards me, yelling in horror and disgust. "Did you betray me? Did you sell me out?!" The two officers regained their control over his movements, dragging him back towards the open van that they stood outside of.

I waved my hand and shook my head, making any sign to protest my innocence, to plead for him to open his eyes as I stood under that wretched light. "You're wrong, I…"

Kiryu was launched into the mobile room, landing on his back before scrambling to pick himself up and crawl furiously to the opening in one last attempt to get to me.

"Yusei!"

The doors slammed in his face, breaking any chance for our friendship to continue. As quickly as they had dispatched from their damaged headquarters, the cars and D-Wheels rode off, leaving Jack, Crow and I standing under the torrential downpour as what felt like the best time of our lives came crashing down to earth and shattering into a million pieces, trodden on by the boots of those bastards. My legs bent weakly, arms hanging by my sides in the same way, everything left my body.

"Kiryu…"

There was nothing we could do… nothing.

Stretching my throat. To the heavens that cried.

"_KIRYU!!_"

* * *

YUSEI  
**02: Encased in Darkness**

The same pattern had repeated for hours, days, weeks. Who knew how long? It felt like an eternity since we stood under the blazing sun, facing each other in a duel, free as anyone else in the world. Kiryu had given no sign that he acknowledged my pleas to wake up and realize what had happened, for us to escape these shackles that we had been put in that restrained our futures. Kiryu may be willing to die here, but I wasn't - and I wouldn't let him. Maybe I was being selfish, but I could feel my heart throbbing in agony at the thought of losing Kiryu for a third time, each time we had come close, we had been torn apart in heart wrenching ways. I refused to let Lotten bring about Kiryu's third and final death.

A part of him remained buried, but whether it would be through the pickaxe in my possession or my bare hands, I would unearth that part of him laying somewhere in Satellite, we would return to excavate the island's soil to find it.

Kiryu's eyes continued to avoid me, whenever there was a moment when we were free from the glare of the Red Scarves patrolling the mine, I would focus on him. Seeing the droplets of sweat sliding down the edge of his face, worn from his extended stay in Crashtown, how he had been sinking into the emotionless state that I found him in. Perhaps he had neglected his body and ignored all pleas to fight on from himself; he seemed worn down by the work we had been assigned, at the edge of his life. He spoke as though he was ready to dive into the lake of lost souls, swimming amongst people who had surrendered themselves to sin. Why was he so determined to perish? Could he really see nothing ahead of him? Did he feel empty without power and a means of fighting? Teeth of my upper jaw met the lip beneath, digging into it, it was like Kiryu was angry for being liberated from the darkness - in death, there would be no more torment for him to endure, but here… maybe he felt a home when he was wandering in Hell. Maybe that was why he continued to submit to this miserable town's rules.

Kiryu had always had power over someone - when we were starting out as Team Satisfaction, he would lead us in the hope of making Satellite somewhere comfortable to live, show Neo-Domino that we didn't need them after they turned their backs on us. As a Dark Signer, he joined with Ccapac Apu to swear revenge on me, ready to rip me apart and quench his thirst for justice. Now he had power over nobody, he looked empty because of it. Without Ccapac Apu joined with his soul after so long of being united, maybe he felt hollowed, alone. Then why did he not tell anyone?

"Kiryu… talk to me".

A moment passed without a reply, he was still focused on continuing his task. It was difficult to decide which was more frustrating - being tricked by Barbara and Marco or the way Kiryu bowed down to their laws, working without speaking. My eyes narrowed what if I had never come to Crashtown, would Kiryu still be walking upon the sand of the living desert? Would he be nearing his death anyway? No… what Barbara called him had to be a lie, Kiryu was fine, and he wasn't nearing death any time soon. In his eyes, there was little to find, but there had to be something in him that could prove his extent of life. That he was still one of us upon the earth's surface and not some kind of wolf in sheep's clothing, a soulless being raised from the dead.

"There is nothing more to say. Resign to fate, Yusei. I have, as has everyone else here" he finally murmured.

"When have we ever resigned to fate?" I asked. "Was this what we fought for in Satellite? Wasn't that standing up against fate and proving that we had something to fight for, to live for? We didn't listen to what was expected of us then, why start now?"

"Because it's over…"

"'Over'?" I echoed, detaching my eyebrows from the tops of my sockets and forcing them upwards.

"We've lost. We've always lost" Kiryu sighed. "We won the battle in Satellite, but ultimately failed in the war. It came between us and then brought about our second defeat - we couldn't override fate and one of us had to die, we almost faced that grim end together".

"We won in the end" I protested.

"Did we?" Kiryu asked, setting his eyes on the pickaxe driven into the wall before us. "How many people almost lost their lives? How many were distraught and affected afterwards? People suffered and places in Neo-Domino were destroyed - people lost their homes and businesses, how did they win?"

"They kept their lives in the end, isn't that what matters?" I asked. "They gained the opportunity to rebuild what they lost".

"So they lived? That's it? How is that a reward, a victory?" Kiryu inquired. "I'm not the person I was when we ran around Satellite, duelling gangs into surrender and striving to make Satellite our own, but you're not satisfied with that, are you?"

"What are you saying?"

"You want that Kiryu back, don't you?" he questioned, moving his eyes to meet my face. "Is it a victory if I was brought to life rather than the Kiryu you knew and cared for? Have you and I won because I'm alive, even if I'm not the same person?"

"Kiryu…" I muttered, unable to think of any means to respond to his words. They sunk into my chest like a blade, scratching the surface of my heart. All he was doing was relating the victims of our war to us, to make it easier to see. And it hurt, deeply, was that his goal?

My eyes narrowed, falling from his expressionless face gazing at me. He was right though - Kiryu without his passion to fight and live was like having nothing in front of me, another person or a zombie. Did that _really_ count as a victory? Had fate dealt a faux card in raising my hopes for the future? Maybe the last time Kiryu - the real Kiryu - had been alive was the night he was arrested and believed that I had sold him out. Or maybe it was after we duelled for the second time and he crumbled to dust in my arms, blown apart by the breeze that passed through Savior Star's glimmering body.

I turned from him, unable to face the reality that perhaps the Kiryu I had sought in Crashtown was not the man I had found. Even though he looked like him, shared many features, he was not the same. Neither of us resumed the labour immediately, Kiryu instead removed the pickaxe lodged in the rock, keeping his eyes on me.

"I… I'm sorry, Kiryu" I muttered, staring at the uneven texture of the wall in front of us. "I never meant for any of this to happen - the end of Team Satisfaction, you becoming a Dark Signer, us becoming prisoners here. I guess… even though I'm the Duel King and a Signer, I'm still not fit to be a leader on every occasion. Maybe at all".

Kiryu didn't reply to the apology, I couldn't look at him in the eye until he had done so, if he ever would. It wouldn't be right to say to him that I would do whatever I could to bring this phase of torment to an end unless he felt I was capable of living on - I should have been the one arrested, the one who was beaten in the Detention Centre, the one who would lose their thrill of life. I failed over and over again.

Bringing misery to everyone I cared about, even before I could understand anything in this world.

Before I could wake up from the regret that crawled over my mind, sowing its seeds, a sharp stinging sensation suddenly burst against my back, forcing a cry of agony from my lips as they tore apart automatically. My legs bent, sending me down, slamming my right palm against the ground littered with pebbles and dust. Overhead, the sound of a whip stretching occurred.

"No slacking off" a man's voice growled.

The blow had been dealt when I was off-guard; Kiryu was much stronger than me. When he had been whipped, it took two to take him down, but I had descended already, the shield that had been lowered knocked from my hands in my moments of forgetting the risks of this place. This Hell.

Silence followed while I pushed myself from the ground, Kiryu watched without any words of concern. I had called his name over and over, worried about him, but he waited for me to stand and fight for myself, to prove that I was strong enough to fight on my own. That I wasn't damaged by doubt and guilt. I didn't look at him, maybe he hadn't accepted the apology that I handed to him, perhaps he still hated me for the mistakes I had made at his expense. The abuse he had endured because of me, going through Hell and coming out the other side as a servant of an Earthbound God, swearing to cast the underworld across the surface of the world.

Would my soul crack in this like his had? Would the current me die in this place like the Kiryu I knew had in the Detention Centre, without hope. In order to prevent the man behind us from lashing out again, I gripped the pickaxe that protruded from the wall and resumed the duty, Kiryu following suit immediately. The man scoffed and continued on his round about the area of the mine, finding his next victim. My eyes travelled to Kiryu, if continuing until I break would serve as my atonement, then that would be the path I would walk. There had to be something I could do in order to make right for everything that had gone wrong because of me.

Questions about the outside world ran through my head when my concentration wavered, the muscles in my arms screaming in fatigue. The same repetitive movements would eventually take their toll on me, my back would ache from the alterations in stance, straightening and bending, just as my arms, legs would tire from the constant standing. Was that what brought the end for those that had been carried out of the mine - unconscious or otherwise? Where did they go if they clung onto life? Were they fed here? Were they given opportunities to sleep? There was much of this life that I didn't know, Barbara simply told me of the intentions for this place - to fine Dune. We faced the likelihood of learning just what one got in this place the hard way.

Judging by what we had seen, the slaves here were given no breaks, forced to work until their bodies gave up on them. Though uneasy about doing so, I thought of Crow and Jack, what would they do if they stood here instead of us? Jack would certainly not submit, instead he'd roar about how he was King, Crow was a born rebel. So there was no chance of him lying down like a dog. Maybe I was just truly weak - in the world of Duel Monsters and the race of D-Wheels, I reign superior, but outside… I may as well have still been a child. Was Kiryu the same? After his time as a leader and a Dark Signer, had he reverted to the person he had been before all of that - a child searching for a dream out of his reach, with the realization that no matter how far he stretched, he would be unable to grasp it?

A small scuffle of pebbles leaping from their place in the wall into the ground sounded everywhere, quietly, cautiously. A small metallic tap followed, there was nothing that could make that sound - was there? The machinery that carried the pieces of interest unearthed? I turned to see just what had happened, finding a large rectangular machine standing in front of what seemed to be a secret tunnel. A man standing close to it approached, clothed in a blue outfit similar to those that inmates at the Detention Centre wore. There was something about him that was familiar, like I had seen him before. His tanned skin matched the unkempt dirt brown hair, matching his eyes. His chin showed the signs of a beard growing, probably from the lack of opportunities to shave in this desolate place. Around his neck was the same collar that was around the necks of Kiryu, I and every other worker in the darkness.

Through the slim gap made by the tunnel, two small faces appeared - children. Those two that called Kiryu their "Onii-chan". I stepped towards Kiryu, placing a hand on his shoulders, thankfully the attempt to direct his attention in my way succeeded with relative ease. Without moving my eyes from the sight of the two ushering over the tanned man, I took my chance to alert him in a tone without much more volume than a whisper.

"Kiryu, look. Those kids".

He twisted his neck, setting his eyes on the youngsters - a girl and who seemed to be her younger brother. The girl stood with her head above her brother's, clothed in a coral dress with sleeves extending to his tiny wrists. Around her neck, a pure white collar extended from the piece, flowing over her shoulders and around the base of her neck lined in a ruched manner. A zip ran down the upper part of the dress, until the fabric was pressed beneath a copper brown piece acting like a belt that held the gown against her waist. Her smooth black hair had been held back by small clips, her eyes matching those of the man standing close by. Before her, the boy wore a long sleeved brown shirt, an open sleeveless viridian vest over the shirt, lined with yellow fabric, diagonal black lines forging a pattern. Over his small legs, blue jeans hung loosely, his eyes sharing the colour shimmering with aspiration for a future where this place didn't exist, I had seen him gazing at Kiryu in amazement. Kiryu was a role model to him; the reasoning behind such passion remained a mystery.

"That boy, he was in the town" I commented, hoping to earn a response from Kiryu.

The man standing close to the children inched towards them, eyes darting in their sockets to prevent those wearing red scarves around their necks catching his suspicious movements. Kiryu took a moment to register the few words I had spoken, whether it was a deliberate delay or one through lack of attention remained blurred in his distant behaviour. His dried lips parted, mouthing one word - a name, the name belonging to the young boy who looked up at him, a man waiting to die.

"West".

Perhaps he had been close to the boy; perhaps the youngster had lit a small flame in Kiryu, a wavering flame weakened by the bitterness. Maybe West and his sister had been the force preventing that small flame from being extinguished by the harsh realities of this world. The distant jaws of the man and children moved as they discussed something from their secret rendezvous, unnoticed by those claiming to be guards, demons strolling around Hell, and those left to rot in this wretched place, backed into this continuous labour. A short while passed, myself acting as a lookout for the sakes of both Kiryu and the man talking with the younger presences that may have been his offspring, alternatively, children he was close to during his former life. A small bag was exchanged from the kids before they retreated into the darkness, the boy flashing Kiryu a smile as he turned from the underworld we had been cast into. Even in that expression through such a grim vortex, there was hope and brightness shining through him, his naïve hope that everything could be restored so easily, a child who hadn't experienced what it was truly like to face Destiny, with or without odds stacking higher against the defiant opposition.

They returned to their lives in the town that could be suffering from the reign of the Malcolm family, maybe things were better without the confrontations at sunset, the time that the citizens declared "Duel Time". The man turned his head to face Kiryu and I, flashing us a smile that matched that of the boy's. I had never seen him smile before, but it was almost as though it had been a trigger to activate the memory of where I had seen him - he had been one of the three that had tried to escape just before I crossed the borders into Crashtown, watching over from a distant cliff. That was when the brutal authority first came to my attention, I should have realised back then, but I was blinded by my wish to win Kiryu back from the shadow claws slowly tearing him apart. Guilt, depression, apathy. Or was it me that those things had crawled into, slowly eating away at?

The man approached us, passing where he had been as though he wanted to extend his hand to us, to speak and develop a bond with us. He stopped a short distance from Kiryu, drawing my full attention, if those wandering around as superiors were to notice the three of us slacking from our duty, they would simply have to yell at us. Dictatorship seemed to be how Malcolm, Barbara and Lotten had planned to rule Crashtown once I had dealt with Kiryu; there was nothing to stop that same sense following into the mines.

"You're Kiryu, am I correct? Kiryu Kyosuke?" he inquired, setting his eyes on Kiryu.

"Yes" Kiryu replied in a toneless manner. "Is there something you wanted? Is this something to do with Nico and West?"

Nico. So that was the girl's name, huh? The man replied with a nod, smiling wholly. There was nothing sinister about his beaming, not like those involved in the war occurring in Crashtown, the place stained with the scent of deceit and betrayal that clung to me.

"This is. I wanted to thank you greatly" he answered brightly. "They're my kids, we moved to Crashtown together and when I came here, I feared they'd struggle to continue. Nico is capable of looking after herself, but West, as you can see, is difficult to restrain at times, especially Duel Time. My name is Sergio, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart".

A slight smile forged on Kiryu's face, the two had been bonded by the common tie of those children - Nico and West - who had been left alone after their father was cast away into this place. From what he spoke like, he had no purpose being here… yet many of those trapped in this excavation would give the same impression, forced here against their will because of some ridiculous laws set by two feuding gangs. While Sergio focused on Kiryu, I reached inside my jacket, pulling out the pendant I had seen him toss as though it were a precious momentum and an object that the enemy had been after, something that he wished someone would find and come to rescue him. I had failed in that; I simply delivered it back to him. The small sky blue gem glimmered as it swung from the inside pocket, hanging by a string thread beneath a clip attached to the metallic back. On the stone were three triangles, as they descended, they grew in size, each of a colour of lapis lazuli - two opaque triangles, one sitting on the other, above a hollow third, two lines diving the shape into three, two small triangles sitting on the diagonal faces aimed upwards of the pentagon. Each of the horizontal points reached the edge of the gem, an intriguing design. One which caught Sergio's eye.

"You found it, huh?" he uttered with a smirk. "I thought I'd never see this thing again".

I turned my eyes to him, seeing his forefinger scratched and battered aimed as the pendant hanging from my grasp. His eyes glimmered in the same way as West's as he recognized the stone. Like hope had been captured in the object, my eyes traced his.

"I'm sorry" I uttered. "I found this after you tried to escape, you tossed it onto the cliff and landed not too far from me, I thought it be best to hold onto it until you could hold it in your own hands".

"It's fine. You should keep it, as thanks for trying to help us, putting yourself out for the sake of strangers" he chuckled lightly.

"Ar- are you sure?" I asked, unsure if keeping such a momentum would be truly right.

Guilt swelled inside of him, I hadn't come this far for the sake of the people living in Crashtown, I had come solely for Kiryu. Those chasing Sergio and the duo he had escaped with had claimed that as a duellist, there was work in Crashtown for me. The only job I had been assigned was to rescue Kiryu.

Sergio opened the small package given to him by Nico, revealing small items of food, each wrapped individually, three small bags clustered together. Sergio pushed the contents towards us.

"Nico must not have been sure if they feed us. It looks like she made some for you two as well" he sounded.

Reluctantly, Kiryu pulled two of the bags from Sergio's hands, one for each of us, gazing down at it with the same lost eyes. The elder man smiled grateful that we had accepted Nico's gesture of caring. I lifted my eyes to meet Sergio's once again, trying to see just what it was he found so hopeful in this darkness.

"Why don't you follow your children if they're waiting for you using that tunnel?" I asked, after witnessing one failed attempt.

Sergio pointed to the metallic collar around his neck, those that everyone else wore. It was an obvious answer, but I hadn't expected everyone to submit, like everyone had been stripped of their fighting spirit as they entered this place.

"They may not look it, but the Malcolm family are pretty sharp when it comes to escapees. The last time, I didn't use that tunnel that Nico and West used, but even by heading that way, I'd eventually get spotted. They're actually capable of keeping an eye of how many people are here" he sighed. "I take it that you're Yusei, right?"

"Yes" I replied with a nod.

"The children were talking about you, how you fought Kiryu in the noblest battle that Crashtown has ever seen" he beamed. "They also said something about a D-Wheel and getting it away from the town to a safe place. Though they didn't mention where".

"They got my D-Wheel to somewhere safe?" I asked, eyes falling when I recalled the last occasion the machine had been hidden. "Barbara must have taken into town after Lotten took over".

It was more difficult to decide who I felt angrier with; Barbara for luring me here as bait for her selfish desires in claiming Crashtown as her own alongside the men she adored, a woman who lusted for a partner with power, or me, for falling for such a trick. Sergio stepped away, his smile fading as he turned from us, and we soon learned why.

"You two, stop slacking off!"

A crack came from the connection between the whip and the floor of the man who had realised we had left our duties to talk. I stood in front of Kiryu, shielding the bags in his hands from the man's eyes. We turned our backs to him, Kiryu handing me the bags, which I then placed inside my jacket. Together, we resumed toiling to the delight of those that would profit from anything found. The man walked away, turning his attention to anyone else that had stopped swinging their pickaxes, leaving us to explore what it was that Nico had given us.

I pulled the small shapeless containers from the inside of my jacket, handing both bags to Kiryu, who looked up at me. In his eyes was the same sense of lacking direction, puzzlement of what I had done and why.

"Yusei…"

"You need it more than I do" I insisted. "You look much thinner than when you left Neo-Domino, I doubt you've been taking care of yourself since then. I'll be able to continue as I am, you might not be, and you looked tired when we first came here".

"Yusei… I can't" he sighed.

"I'm not going to eat anything from there, whether you take my share or not" I protested. "We don't know; they may feed us here, though it seems pretty doubtful judging by what we've seen".

"But Nico-"

"And I'm doing the same here. You need it more than me; I'll keep an eye out for anyone walking around with a red scarf around their neck and warn you if anything happens".

Kiryu's eyes dropped to the bag opened in his hand, slices of bread fixed together with minimal filling. Guiltily, he took a bite of the sandwich, what looked like the first bite of nourishment he had experienced in some time, I smiled glad that he had taken the step towards understanding how there was life left for him. And I would stand by him, taking every blow that someone would deal him, I would experience the same troublesome time that he experienced because of me, I would endure the same level of suffering that he had for his sake, to atone for the mistake I made on that fateful night so long ago.


	3. Absence of Hope

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - Overcast Dusk**

by Yusei

_**Summary -** "__Fate has turned its back on us. We, those captive to the war, will sink beneath the rocky landscape of this wretched place. Friends… are we to grasp each other's shoulders until sunlight pours on us again? Spoilers for Crashtown Arc._".  


___**Disclaimer - **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N - **I apologise for having taken forever to update; for some reason, I struggled to force myself into the right frame of mind to finish this chapter; most of which had been ready for some time. This isn't a very long story, so I'm using that as movation to progress and hope that using it, I can produce a decent result. Please read and review._

* * *

The sun had sunken deeply into the horizon like a victim of quicksand, with little above the line of earth. Kiryu swayed uneasily, slightly tilting forward. The grunts of the horses drawing the grim carriage sounded, followed by the clapping of their shoes against the dusty ground, shadows stretching with the last moments of sunlight drawing out, clawing along the ground. It was then that I recalled the plan that Barbara had put together earlier in the day, before the sky resembled flames licking the atmosphere.

The plan had been that Barbara would throw me a bouquet of flowers from her place under the flower shop's sign with brown words _"The Classy Ass"_. Within the flowers of that bouquet, a stick of dynamite would be concealed, one that would detonate once I tossed it towards the carriage before they could haul Kiryu away to a place of hopelessness. Together, she and I would drag Kiryu from the smoke that had been kicked up, ending the continuation of the war's terms, perhaps with the hope of bringing it to a close in the same way that bashing the heads of two children together would resolve their petty conflict. The rope wrapped itself around Kiryu, the carriage driver possessing exceptional skill in lassoing, now was our chance. I turned in the direction of _The Classy Ass_, seeing her standing in the shadows of the building, the bouquet in her hands.

"Barbara".

She did nothing, Kiryu had hit the ground and she had yet to fulfil her role in the plan to end this. But she stood there, eyes hidden amongst a sea of shadows cast by her fringe hanging over her forehead, red lips curved in a slight smile. The flowers were pointed in my direction, a sudden bang and something hit me - a pale red orb, surrounded with small blue bolts that surged around, pulsing through me - forcing me from the ground as every nerve in my body went numb. In the seconds between standing on my feet and descending towards the ground, a yell emitted from my throat - speech was all I had left - a glimmer from the centre of the bouquet caught my eye - a gun? It couldn't be; Barbara wanted to end everything, bring peace to Crashtown.

My body crashed against the ground, the sky trembling as my body reacted to the connection with the earth. I aimed my eyes down at her, shadows continuing to hinder my view of her expression.

"B- Barbara". She lifted her head, revealing the dark smirk that confirmed her betrayal, the knife driven into my back released, dripping with hot blood fresh from a wound. Smoke rose from the twin barrels of the weapon, everything had been flipped upside down. "W- why?"

Across the square, Kiryu's body crossed the dusty ground, forced by the single rope that bound his arms to his torso. The darker skinned man hauled him onto the carriage, tossing him in one of the coffins on the back of the wagon, lid closed over him. I couldn't understand what it was that had happened, I tried to move, only succeeding in grunting as I failed. A small giggle escaped Barbara's lips as she ripped away the petals of the flowers in her possession relentlessly, revealing the weapon.

"If you're shot with this Shock Gun, you won't be able to move for a while".

As the whole gun was revealed from the harmless disguise, she began to tap the bottom of the barrels against her left hand. She had lured me to this town to rescue Kiryu, if she had an alternate motive, just what was it - to gain Crashtown as her own?

From afar, the road behind where the Malcolm family had gathered like a red army opposing a blue, the whirring of an engine. Something was approaching; I could feel it through the ground. In the corner of my eye, I could see Malcolm approaching Barbara, standing by the woman with whom he had forged a silence alliance. My eyes cast in the direction of the sound, finding a D-Wheel leaping from its hiding place across a distant level of ground, the man on board gave a lively howl. The machine was immense, with what looked similar to a drill connected onto the back, large tires that challenged those on Bommer's D-Wheel, it was like nothing anyone had seen before. The machine turned to face away from the sun and from the road around, pillars of steam erupting from the large rubbery rings. With the end of movement, it turned once again, facing Barbara, Malcolm and I.

I believed it had ended, but the vehicle transformed, becoming a beast that took much taller than it previously had. Six arms revealed themselves, each holding a Duel Disk - either those originating from Crashtown in the form of a gun or those like the ordinary Duel Disks in Neo-Domino. The drill came forward, appearing as though it had become the central weapon, the deadliest to find a victim. At the sheer sight of it, my eyes widened and bottom jaw fell.

'_Just who… is he?'_

The rider stood, bearing an attire that resembled Saiga, There would never be a time in my life where I'd rather see him more than whoever it was that had stormed towards us, standing over everyone like a superior being. The large helmet on his head hindered any view of his eyes, a bottle green visor hanging over them as he grinned. Overhead, those wearing red scarves around their necks cheered and howled as though a hero had returned - was that what this man was? Had he returned after the final hurdle had been jumped to claim the victory as his own?

Ramon seemed to panic, ready to retreat when the man skilfully ripped a gun from one of the several arms the machine possessed, yelling while launching it at the terrified rival who cried out in horror while the device attached itself to his left wrist, stumbling and crashing to the ground in a pitiful manner. Two large tanned hands reached the sides of the helmet, removing it to reveal the man's head, nut-brown hair tied back into a small ponytail. That was the instance Ramon's confidence diminished beyond recovery.

"You're… Malcolm's little brother…" he murmured. "Lotten!"

The named man twisted his neck, setting his eyes on the setting sun, I imagined. The fiery sphere had yet to completely vanish beneath the dusty horizon, but… there couldn't be enough time for another duel, could there? Was Lotten going to betray the unwritten laws of combat in Crashtown?

His eyes moved to the carriage that was the process of carting Kiryu away to the mountain where those who failed to win in their personal wars would vanish, sent to unearth more dune for the sake of the construction of more D-Wheels. Judging by the town's nature, it seemed that those who were sent never returned. Kiryu…

"Wait" Lotten commanded. The two men seated behind the horses that moved the carriage halted, both gazing up at Lotten who remained at the pinnacle of his D-Wheel. "There's still another person you have to take".

Without offering the bewildered duo an explanation, he leapt down from the machine he had arrived in and positioned himself opposite Ramon and his quivering gang, powerless without Kiryu; the man that Ramon had called "Sensei".

"It's a duel!" Lotten declared, placing the revolver onto his left wrist. The machine altered its state, becoming the Duel Disks that we had been duelling with before.

"Don't screw with me" Ramon protested, still seated on the ground after the fall he had taken from Lotten's sudden appearance. "The sun will set soon. Duel Time is over".

"One turn will be enough" Lotten smugly insisted.

Just as Ramon, when I heard the man's declaration, I had difficulty believing it myself. Was this man truly that powerful that he could defeat the leader of the enemy gang in a single move while his older brother and his comrades had failed to deliver a fatal blow? Apparently that was the case, Lotten was able to summon a monster and lay down five face-down cards, utilizing them as counters for his monster's ability which wiped out all four thousand of Ramon's lifepoints before his opponent could even make a move. It was astonishing to see such a feat happen.

Ramon cursed at the man, claiming his tactics were "dirty" before collapsing against the dusty road. With the end of the duel that concluded before it began, the sun vanished beneath the horizon. Lotten approached the remaining members of the opposite gang, his machine bearing several Duel Disks. That was when he claimed the town as property of the Red Scarves - he was capable of offering a fierce challenge to anyone who dared to stand against his fearsome power, adding a alternative proposal to enlist as a member of the dominant team. Without any doubt, they men howled and threw down their retracted Duel Disks, yelling in horror at the dismal fate that awaited them if they were to accept the battle.

Then it was my turn.

Two of those under Malcolm approached me, smirking as they leaned over and snatched one of my arms, dragging me from the ground and into their power. Between them, I merely hung like the betrayed dog I had become, my arms keeping me up solely through the grasp they men had, horizontally raising them level with my shoulders as I glared at Malcolm, powerless to do anything else. I felt disgusted with myself. Behind me was the cart that held the coffin Kiryu had been laid in, waiting for Death to embrace him, perhaps I would join him into that gloomy descent. The wish he had sworn as a Dark Signer may have hung over my head, ready to split me apart and grasp my damned soul. Opposite that damnation stood Malcolm between Barbara and Lotten, the rest of their crew behind them as they finally stood superior on the ground of the boondocks.

"Really sorry about this, Sensei" Malcolm chuckled. "We had a plan to have my little brother take over this town as soon as he came back from training".

I merely grunted. I didn't want to hear this. The confession that I was truly a pawn in another man's game. Again.

"But in order to do that, we had to defeat that troublesome Kiryu first" Barbara chortled. Her eyebrows curved in a way that looked as though she was almost pitying me, mixed with the pleasure that their secret plot had succeeded. Her hands then united in front of her chest, her eyes closed when true satisfaction came over her. "It would have been fine if Lotten came along, but the trump card should be used last, shouldn't it?" Those same eyes opened, scheming orbs fixated on me. Another piece in another anathematized strategy. "That's why I called you, Kiryu's friend, Fudo Yusei".

"You…!" I finally barked. Again, my fatal flaw had led me into another troublesome predicament. "Weren't you worried about Kiryu?"

"Why would I, for that near-death man?" Barbara laughed. "I like… men with power, you see".

She laid her head by Malcolm's shoulder, receiving a satisfied sound from his locked lips. If Crashtown had a whore, she would certainly be it. The scene of true loyalty was short lived when that bitch approached me, the same chortle passing through her disgusting lips. Her eyes bore into me from above, why had I let things go so wrong?

"But you weren't bad either, fighting hard for that near-death friend of yours" she continued, leaning over when she proceeded to whisper, the shadows of the night obscuring what one would have once believed to be the innocent smile of a young woman. "If I ask him, Malcolm might be willing to let you join his gang".

"I refuse" I retorted immediately. There was no way in Hell I would unite with such a deceitful group of bastards.

And so she struck me. A harsh slap across the face that left a brief stinging. But that pain was the minimum of what I deserved. But not from her, she had no values in this world. Surprisingly, Lotten appeared, almost shoving her aside before setting his sights on me. Instead of delivering some addition blow, he grabbed my chin, tilting my head back so that our eyes met. Like before, it felt like my soul had been exposed and his eyes were boring into me, revealing what had been left visible.

"Well then…" he muttered. "Let's go to Hell… Fudo Yusei".

My vision was replaced by blackness as my eyes sharply closed, head tilted back as Lotten forced my neck to stretch while his brief taunt came to an end. The soul of the Earth disappeared from beneath my feet and relentlessly, I was launched into the coffin beside Kiryu. The invitation that Lotten had offered to ride into Hell with him had been accepted without any true answer. There were no choices here anymore.

The lid overhead closed. Reality ripped off its mask and revealed its true face.

Darkness overcame me.

* * *

YUSEI

**03: Absence of Hope**

Kiryu had been much stronger after the small break illegally offered to him; with the changing of shifts, he had taken the brief opportunity to feast upon the gift that Nico had given. Still, there was uncertainty about him; guilt that he had taken my share, but I told him repeatedly that I didn't need it; I could survive another day without food; he was less likely. He had come seeking death; what chance was there that he had been looking after himself during all that time?

After all, he had taken my place before, when I failed to take his. Surrendering what could have been our last meal was the least I could do; he had yet to response to my apology. Perhaps he would never forgive and we would never reconcile. Forever, our bond would remain torn.

Sergio had also returned to his station, chipping away at the wall closest to the conveyor belt; a slow stream of the golden mineral marched past, taunting the men nearest over how it had escaped its prison and venture into the human world, whereas the same could not be said for them; the ones responsible for unearthing it. At that moment, the others waiting in Neo-Domino entered my mind once more; how were they doing? What would they do when they decided I had been gone long enough? Would they learn of Crashtown and make it here in time?

The most likely answer was they wouldn't.

I hadn't actually confessed where I was going, I simply passed on the message that I was leaving the city for a few days and would return after visiting the town where an old friend had ventured. There was no mention of Kiryu by name in the letter from Barbara; they would have no indication exactly whom I was chasing. Unless they drew parallels to that night… when everything went wrong.

That mistake of leaving Team Satisfaction began a deadly chain of events that cost two men their lives and harmed others, followed by the replacement of one victim with another damaged soul. If only I had stayed, would that have dramatically changed things? Would Kiryu have been spared, or even the remainder of Team Satisfaction escape Security? It was one of many regrets that weighed down my spirit; I would never know.

So… how long left? How many more days do we work here?

Now I sound like Kiryu… I've given up. But why? There are people waiting for us to return. The WRGP was meant to be a way of celebrating the reunion of Satellite and City, the others would come out on top - the Signers and our closest friends. But even with that dream, it made this isolation more bitter, my eyes grew heavy and my heart throbbed, squirming in pain and despair, drowning itself in waterless sorrow. I eyed Kiryu in the corner of my vision, regardless of how many hours we had endured this, he continued to launch his weapon into the wall without any sign of fatigue or weakness. It puzzled me really, to think that he was going to use his death to benefit greedy souls.

"Kiryu…" I sighed. "Why are you working so hard? If you're seeking death, then why not disobey and let them beat your to the end of your life?"

"I'll choose the way I die" Kiryu grumbled, not faltering in his work. I, on the other hand, had stopped completely. "I won't allow them to beat the rest of my time out of me, I won't lay there and squirm and plead, surrounded by chaos at the end. No… I want to die my way; peacefully, without a voice tempting me to another road. At least my death will be worth something to someone…"

Again, I was baffled and managed little in response. "Kiryu. In all honesty, it didn't make sense to me, but that may have been because I appreciated life.

We had both died once and been resurrected; my descent into Hell was brought to a premature end by the spirit of my father, who guided me back to the realm of the living because he cared for me and wished I could undo his mistakes by rescuing the world from peril. Kiryu's, however, played off the hatred spiralling inside of him, using the darkness in his heart to manipulate him; he was simply a pawn to the powers that resurrected him as an entirely different person, erasing all redeeming qualities about him until the very final moments when he regained control of his corpse long enough to justify himself and smile forgivingly, just before he vanished. Once and forever. We harboured opposite philosophies based on those experiences.

So he continued to work relentlessly, finding nothing but gravel and miniature boulders. I, on the other hand, couldn't bring myself to resume immediately and pondered over his response. By working rather than rebelling, his death would be far more drawn out, leaving him more time to reflect and less chance to snap back to his senses and plead for forgiveness as he snatched back the will to live. It was all punishment… not for failing, but for seeking revenge and allowing himself to be manipulated so easily. But, even now, he was being manipulated. Not by an Earthbound God, but by the people who promised him death. What if his seemingly enthusiastic manner of dealing with his punishment proved him a valuable asset? Would they keep him alive simply to uncover all the Dune he alone could?

My brow furrowed at the idea of people using Kiryu for his talents once more; he had his own will, his own life; even if he believed he had surrendered it, by choosing what manner of death he would endure, he was proving that he was an individual still. Everyone but him could see it; yet no-one had the power to show what hovered just in front of his blinded eyes.

A snap and I stumbled forward, a stinging pain flared against the skin of my back, drawing eyes over my shoulder. An icy glare hit the man back, though it seemed a piercing look would do nothing to faze him. Instead, the tanned rogue sneered and tilted his head back.

"What the hell are you looking at?" he asked gruffly.

I intended to reply with an insult, but dealing with him would just waste my time. If my days were numbered, I had better things to do then pleasure this guy with a response. So I turned my eyes away.

That move came across as arrogant and fuelled his temper further. I hadn't even finished considering my next move when the hand slammed into the back of my head, fingernails driving themselves through my hair and pinched the skin of my scalp, throwing my head into the wall and pinning me down fiercely. Kiryu seemed to have been taken by surprise and watched with slightly larger than normal eyes. They almost glimmered, they had almost returned to the shape they had been during our days in Satellite. The gravel dug into the right side of my face, forcing my right eye to keep closed or lose its purpose. Through clenched jaws, I managed a groan directed at the beast pressing me against the wall, his body pressed against mine made it more difficult to fight back. Had the metallic collar not been around my neck, I would have gladly beaten him into the ground

For now, however, I planned to obey, maybe until Kiryu had regained is senses. Or maybe this submission was sending him the wrong message.

The thug leaned forward, his cheeks coloured a slight tint of red, alcohol was thick in his breath, the stench was sickening. His face was inches from the edge of mine, glaring back to his with a single eye.

"Heeeeey" he moaned. "You think you're so great because you come from somewhere so much better than Crashtown, eh? And what exactly makes that craphole so wonderful? Just because you have more technology and have the city alight all throughout the night?"

Again, nothing; let him think what he wants. Though it seemed whatever I did - or in this case, didn't - do, served only to fuel his drunken rage. Before I knew it, he'd used my hair to drag me from the wall and I was sprawled out on the floor, wincing from the sudden blow. In the corner of my vision, Kiryu stood dumbfounded, but submissive; he was loyal enough not to enter into another's matter… for the sake of executing his plan. And himself. The man leaned forward, breathing more of the rancid odour into the air.

"You want us to put that thing to use?" he questioned, pointing towards the collar fastened around my neck.

They would forever use that excuse; the cowards couldn't find any other way of asserting their power. They had resorted to endless death threats, slow ends for their victims to reflect on their ruined lives as they choked and suffocated. How many had gone through that torment? How many more would? As much as I wanted to close my eyes and try to erase the images from my head, doing so at that moment would only lead him to believe he was right and injecting fear into me. I would never fear such lowlifes.

"What's going on over here?" another gruff voice questioned. "You're attracting unwanted attention".

Behind the scene, another of the Red Scarves stood with arms folded over his chest, sneering over what he found. The drunken load grinned stupidly at his superior.

"Ah, my bad boss" he laughed casually. "They were just slacking. This one here thinks he's all that because he's lost his voice and all".

"Sounds like he's a pretty smart kid" the other one commented with a smirk, complimenting the sinister glare from his eyes. "The best way to get by here is to just keep your mouth shut and work".

Work resumed; the two resumed their patrolling duties around our corner of the mine. Kiryu continued chipping away at the wall, working as hard as any man who had been promised wages based solely on workload to feed a starving family. Kiryu never did have a family; he grew up alone on the streets, whereas Jack and I had Martha, Crow had his kids. Kiryu had no-one; Team Satisfaction had been the closest he'd ever had to a family, even that was long gone. Regret crept over and lingered; if that was the case, then had I been responsible for the demise of his family?

Not just literally, but figuratively.

Kiryu's parents were caught up in the Zero Reverse disaster; they perished long ago. I played a large role in the team's self-destruction; I hadn't been strong enough and when Jack and Crow left, I carried the burden for Kiryu's sake. But it was never enough. It never would be.

* * *

Hours were mixed into one another, dawns and dusks. No-one in the mine knew how much time had passed since hope had buried itself and sank. There had been no sign of Nico or West, but Sergio seemed to keep an eye open for them. The two youngsters acted as a beacon of hope for him; a private light hidden from the guards, although the same could be said for the fellow prisoners, drained of emotion and optimism; they were mere puppets. Their souls aching just as their bodies.

The tip of the pickaxe crashed against the wall, but did little damage; my arms and shoulders throbbed, begging for a rest. Sweat had built across my forehead and back, but I paid it no heed; they were prisoners too, suffering incessantly as a punishment for failing. With these hands, I defeated Kiryu, but managed to doom us both, so work would be the means of which I would atone; not for them, but for myself. Or perhaps… it was all for the bastards responsible for this hell. I sighed, trying to pry the tool from the wall, but it refused to move. A laboured sigh climbed up and out; taking the opportunity to wipe across the perspiration building on my forehead, though it did nothing for the state inside my head; perhaps… I was already losing it; arguments for the smallest things were no longer making sense, contradictions springing up. In all honesty, it felt as though my sanity was slipping away with each swing and each crunch. Perhaps that was one of the methods they used to break those doomed to this horrendous fate. Another pull and the axe remained fixed.

Or… I simply wasn't strong enough to remove it. The facts came back to me; I had neither eaten nor slept since the first night I'd spent in Crashtown, meaning it was likely my body was running on reserves, lacking the will that Kiryu fell upon to keep working. I was weak. Weak and helpless, already fading. Having realised the truth, fatigue washed over my like the realisation has been a cue. Panted escaped where breaths had been, my shoulders were leaping up and sinking much more than previously. A distant murmur caught my attention; Kiryu had caught on, so I turned my attention to him in the corner of my vision, feathered black edges beginning to distance consciousness from the reality around it.

"Yusei, something's not right with you…" Kiryu murmured. "You should take a rest, I'll take the slack and work for us both".

"No" I sighed, shaking my head. "I'm fine, really".

"Hey, quit slacking off!"

A snap rushed by and Kiryu groaned, stumbling forward a step. By the time I'd realised what was happening, a second sharp clap preceded a burning sensation in my back, causing my head to dip and teeth to clench. We refused to yell out in agony, we would deny them that satisfaction. But still… they were winning.

There was a heaviness about the dulled setting, a pant growled and everything around the lodged axe slinked away. In hindsight, not bothering to eat had been a foolish move; I'd declined Barbara's offer with the expectance of leaving Crashtown that night and returning to Neo-Domino next morning. Since that time, maybe days had passed; fatigue had caught up and it burrowed its way into every part of my body. With heavy eyelids threatening to descend, I assumed that there would be dark circles growing underneath my eyes; further signs of tiredness. Further signs of weakness.

The rest was a blur; but it felt as though my hands released the wooden handle of the axe and the rock wall began to shudder, moving somehow. A gasp and noises too distant to distinguish. Another pain spread across my back, but immediately, there was an arm that touched me, I believe it was Kiryu lifting me from the ground; I'd collapsed from exhaustion.

"_Yusei…"_ his voice yelled, reaching me as though I were listening beneath the surface of water. _"Yusei!"_

I knew that voice; that yell. Filled with such hatred and disgust; betrayal dripping from the eyes and venom that would eventually poison him. No, this time… there was a sincerity about the tone, a caring tone. Everything was black; I couldn't tell if we were in the days of Team Satisfaction, facing one another as polar opposites of the Signer legend or in Crashtown. Everything melded into one and I succumbed to the refreshing feel of eyelids resting. Darkness overcame me. I'm sorry, Kiryu…

"_Yusei!"_


	4. Crack in the Hollow Mask

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - Overcast Dusk**

by Yusei

_**Summary -** "__Fate has turned its back on us. We, those captive to the war, will sink beneath the rocky landscape of this wretched place. Friends… are we to grasp each other's shoulders until sunlight pours on us again? Spoilers for Crashtown Arc._". 

___**Disclaimer - **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N - **Thank you to everyone who has read this for being so patient, I hope this new chapter has been worth the wait. As a fic focusing primarily on Yusei's narrative, this is one of a few chapters were the perspective comes from another cahracter, in this case, to imagine how the others in Neo-Domino could be coping. Please read and review._

* * *

The garage was unnaturally silent and still. Where was the clanking of metal and tools? The chattering of computer keys? I trod deeper into the alien territory – why does my home feel so strange? Why does it feel like I'm treading into a mysterious new realm? My eyes moved over the iron bars running alongside the upper corridor, peering over where the D-Wheels stood in the centre of the large open space below, uncovered, but without anyone toiling over them. It was bizarre.

Then it dawned on me what had happened; Yusei was always getting called out on jobs – fixing things here and there for the people across the City. The people who once looked down on us from Satellite. It was still bizarre to think that in a couple of years, my life had been completely turned on its head, even quicker for him. I leaned against the railing and gazed at the home of the three D-Wheels lined up neatly; the large Wheel of Fortune, the centre space open for Yusei's absent crimson machine and the inherited BlackBird on the other side – the three machines that powered this future. The memories of that night were still as clear as though they had happened before; falling on the memories of lost loved ones to keep us going. My hands tightened around the iron bars, clenching my jaws; so why did it still feel like we were living under some kind of threat? Why did my chest feel tight and my senses pointing to paranoia? We're supposed to be free – that isn't freedom!

The phone on the desk began to ring, snapping me back from suspicions with its shrill whining. My legs moved automatically, throwing me down the elevated corridor with the knowledge that no-one else would make it in time to answer and silence the squealing. My boots stamped down on every second or third step, grasping the railing sliding down alongside the staircase and leaping over when there were a half-dozen steps to go. A tremor shivered up my legs, but that wasn't important.

Wait… why did I feel this sense of urgency? It was just a phone call; it was probably Yusei to call that he was heading back or had received another job, maybe even a client for him. So why was I rushing? I was hardly a secretary, it wasn't anything to do with me. I snatched the phone from its crater and held it against the right side of my face, the top pressed firmly against my ear, expecting to hear Yusei's voice.

"_We have taken Fudo Yusei"_ a mysterious voice dictated.

The rest fell on deaf ears for that moment, it would come through later and make itself known. But immediately after the string of mumbled words ceased, there was the dead moaning of disconnection. I stood there, frozen with disbelief. Yusei had gone out a while before, presumably for a job, now he'd been abducted? Maybe it was a prank or something to lure us out into the open. But none of that crossed my mind in the immediate moment, just the idea had shut down my body; but why? Why was I reacting this way? I never freeze, I don't fear, but…

There was no answer for it. The buzzing moan continued without consideration for my distorted trains of thought, colliding into one another, derailing without ever reaching a stage remotely close to completion. The door squeaked open and Crow entered, cocking his head to the side with an amused smirk. He jumped down the concrete steps from the door casually and strolled casually forward. Aware I was no longer alone, the circuits in my body finally reconnected and the phone fell back into place, turning towards him with a stern glare to mask my disturbance.

"What's up? You look sick" he asked with a chuckle.

"Crow, is this some kind of prank?" I asked coldly, waiting for the slap of reality that I had been played with; one of my friends had mocked me and used the other as bait.

"Huh?" Crow sounded, tilting his head. He wore a perplexed look; acting or genuinely confused about what I was referring to.

"Crow, don't screw me about" I growled, clenching my fists tightly, irritation pumping through me steadily, ready to strike if he was to be caught out. I wasn't in the mood to be messed with, clearly – though I never was, the situation was dire if it were true.

"I have no idea what you're on about" Crow protested irately, apparently he wasn't a fan of being kept in the dark.

I turned my back on him, a subtle dig for revenge and snatched the phone from its resting place, punching the keys and waiting for the electronic voice to deliver the number of the voice responsible. My arm froze and stiffened when the reply was negative – a withheld number or source; there was no way to tell who had been the prankster. And yet, my heart beat faster with trepidation. My fingers around the phone tightened, slamming the tip of another against the loose key and replacing the robotic chattering with the high humming of the free channel. Punching in another series and following another ringing, I would do all it took to confirm that I wasn't the victim of a joke._"Hello?"_ Lua's voice chirped.

"Lua, I need you and Luca to come over to the garage" I growled. "And get Izayoi here as well".

"_Eh… okay"_ was the boy's unprepared answer. _"Is everything okay?"_

"I'll explain when you get here" I responded, not wishing to aggravate the boy's cheerful demeanour. Treading cautiously would be the best course of action.

"_Okay, we'll be over there soon. We'll grab our D-Boards and call Aki-neechan"_ the boy answered.

"Fair enough" I grunted..

The phone descended, falling back into its nest and freed from my grasp. A heavy sigh rattled my throat and escape, fingers sliding across my forehead. This was exhausting, maybe it would have been best to leave the phone for Crow to answer.

"Everything okay?"

I looked back to the spiky-haired delivery worker, shooting me a curious look; I suppose he's never seen me like this before, at least not in some time. Another ragged sigh was the immediately response, how was I going to explain this without sounding like an idiot? Or without him scoffing with amusement before breaking into a fit, revealing he was the mind behind the entire plot?

"Hey, you're starting to scare me" Crow barked.

"Good, because if I find out this is your doing, you'll have reason to be scared" I grumbled.

"Will you just tell me what's going on?" he complained.

His impatient prodding was working my patience, pushing me closer to breaking point. I'd rather not have to confess, but my mind was running wild with no way to confirm or disprove my suspicions. A deep exhale preceded the forced confession.

"If you start laughing, I'll break your neck" I growled.

"I can't see what's funny" Crow complained, shrugging his shoulders, glaring with irritation.

"There was a call before you came back, someone we don't know" I sighed, a sense of dread creeping over me. "They said they've taken Yusei".

Crow's eyebrows jumped up from his sockets, presenting a shocked and bewildered expression. I'd have liked that alone to convince me, but Crow was famous in Satellite for being a trickster. My greater fears would later be confirmed and Yusei's fate would be made clear. How close we came to losing him forever.

* * *

JACK

**04: Crack in the Hollow Mask**

With a cup of tea waiting, steaming on the coffee table in front of the worn sofa, my patience was holding out. But Crow's clanging of tools as he hastily gathered them up from beside BlackBird was testing. I leaned back, arms tightly crossed over my chest to hold back flying fists. Why was it he could stay so level-headed? It was like having a thoughtful and serious Crow was extremely rare; I'd heard about his duel with Bommer, been there with him against Godwin – was it really that hard for him to stick with that side of himself? It'd be much easier on my temper; there were so many things this carefree version would do every day, as though just to irritate me. It pisses me off that he can still be so calm, even though Yusei has run off to another town on a secret mission.

My eyes moved from Crow to the tea, continuing onwards when the blue-haired amnesiac wandered in with a warm smile on his face. Apparently, Bruno lost all memories of his past, pretty cliché, but Yusei took to him immediately, we're stuck with him until he remembers something. But he immediately latched onto Yusei, the two spending periods of countless hours at the computers, no doubt working themselves ragged. They'd been detached for days, leaving the rest of us watching from behind, unable to understand their complicated, encrypted code. Yet it wasn't long after Bruno appeared that Yusei disappeared once more. It was almost like he was here to replace Yusei; one failed attempt had led to another. Chipper as ever, he smiled whilst standing beside BlackBird chatting happily with Crow, how could they carry on as though nothing had happened? The niggling in the back of my mind went into overdrive, making it difficult to keep my growing frustration under wraps. Maybe it was paranoia or some form of overreacting, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong – somewhere, maybe with Yusei – but why did it resonate so strongly within me and potentially throw me towards chaos?

I sipped the tea, but by now, it had cooled and its lukewarm texture sent a chill down my throat. A disapproving grunt was all I'd make and shot up from my place on the sofa. Whether Crow or Bruno paid any attention was beyond my concern, but I stormed by, snatching my helmet from the seat of the Wheel of Fortune; the remnant crown of the old king, not that that fact bothered me much nowadays. I'd worked hard for it by giving up everything, Yusei worked hard without giving up anything – that was what I'd believed. But that was far from the truth; there had been much suffering to obtain this crown and losing was almost like a weight off my shoulders – one I hadn't even noticed amidst pride. I slid the old crown on, lowering the visor over my closed eyes and climbed into the unique frame of my machine.

"Oi, where are you going?" Crow questioned.

"Out" I grunted. Why did he care all of a sudden?

"But Jack, there's been a lot going on recently" Bruno muttered, wearing a mask claiming some degree of concern. "It's only been a few weeks since you were framed for attacking people, something could happen again".

I shot an icy glare at the weird blue-haired guy; a newcomer who himself caused trouble since arriving. "What am I supposed to do? Hide in here forever out of fear of being targeted?"

"Th- That's not what I'm saying" he answered pathetically, lowering his head.

"Then don't bother if you can't back up your argument" I growled, tired of these people. They could live in their dream world where nothing was threatening us all they wanted. But I could see these people needed to be dealt with; I didn't agree with this hollow peaceful life, I lived the delusion in wait to lure them out. I'm sure Yusei was the same, but without him here, it was even more unbearable.

The engine of my D-Wheel fired up and it rolled towards the large garage door, clanging as it rolled upwards and opened up the path to the outside. Fresh air flooded the oil-scented room and dust from the tiled flooring rose up the circular body of the white D-Wheel spun fervently, rolling forward as soon as the brake was released and twisting sharply to climb the flat ascent. Into the square we arrived and turned away immediately towards the highways.

The raised roads were like a maze, easy to get lost in, easy to ride around for hours with something on your mind. That's exactly what I planned on doing, even if the sun would set and night came long before I was ready to go back; I needed to clear my mind. My eyes narrowed sharply, was this how Yusei felt before when we were plotting to find a way to deal with the Synchro Killers? Was he shaken and frustrated? My memories seemed to indicate that, these feelings are a pain in the ass.

Before I realized it, I was racing along the very same route I had taken the day Yusei went missing, recalling the same structures and landmarks. The same helpless feeling that I despised, the same anger over not knowing what had happened and what was going on now. One significant difference, however, forced me to skid to a halt, smoke rising from the concrete road. Just ahead, the twins were racing recklessly on their D-Boards, spinning in wild circles with childish giggling. Within another cycle, I'd caught Lua's eye as the boy slowed to a halt, quickly followed by his sister though no words were exchanged between them. They appeared cheerful enough, making the most of the gift Yusei had given them, but they were young and naïve, their habits were kept to a minimum, they were bearable. The two rolled forward on their boards, sliding closer cautiously and stopping beside Wheel of Fortune.

"Has you heard anything from Yusei?" Lua inquired.

"How is he doing?" Luca asked.

I sighed, lying to the hopeful young faces would only be wrong. Hiding the extent of my negative emotions, I chose a solemn mask. "I don't know" was the response. "There hasn't been anything of him since he left".

"I see…" Luca sighed, her eyes fell towards the road, disheartened by the lack of correspondence.

She treasured Yusei as much as Crow and myself; the twins had forged a strong friendship with him in the short days leading up to the Fortune Cup, a bond that because much tighter quickly. Lua stepped beside his sister, laying a hand onto her shoulder as a gesture of comfort and reassurance.

"Don't worry, Luca" he said chirpily. "This is Yusei we're talking about; he'll be fine. He'll be back before you know it".

Luca nodded her head, but the narrow eyes and shrunken lips suggested her true feelings were far from buying Lua's empty assurance. The muscles across my back slackened, allowing me to slouch against the curved throne of my frame, eyeing the two with a similar disposition – it was hard to wonder how someone missing was doing while the world around moved as though nothing had changed, as though what had didn't matter. Luca must have been just as concerned, egged by the same troubled feelings. Maybe it's a Signer thing; Crow was never one to let things get to him, he could easily be masking his concerns with a much more experienced mask of normality. There was a pang inside, I still can't be sure exactly what it was, but I moved forward, towards the children standing beside the majestic machine they had admired from afar for so long, coming up close and personal with on a daily basis as of late. My hand opened up, wanting to reach out and join Lua in consoling the girl, to comfort the children, but it refused to move; my arm was frozen.

"Why don't the two of you come back with me?" I offered. "We can see if Yusei left a way to contact him in the note he left".

"The note?" Lua echoed.

I nodded in response. "Yusei left a note explaining where he was going so as not to worry everyone. We'll check that, I only briefly read it after finding out he was already gone".

"But it's strange to think that Yusei would leave without telling anyone" Luca whispered, moving a sadly clenched hand in front of her chin. In her eyes, the reflections of the world in front were damaged; tears building in her betrayed eyes.

"Knowing Yusei, he wouldn't want anyone else to tag along, thinking he was dragging them into something they didn't need to be burdened by" I suggested.

"That's not right" Lua protested, his voice also matching the downcast mood of his sister's face. "Yusei should know that we care, even if he thinks like that, we'd want to know where he is".

"You can scold him about that later when he gets back" I answered. In all honesty, it was a trait of Yusei's that always troubled me; It was something he was always going to do – when we were children, even now, I was in doubt that this would be the last time. "For now, let's head back and see what there is to go by".

"Okay then" Luca sounded.

We turned our backs on the wide reminder of the previous disappearance and raced along the road. Lua insisted on smiling once more, appearing to cope much better with the situation than Luca or myself. His D-Board began to skid from side to side, making the journey back more adventurous, all to keep his mind off the gravity of the mood around him.

By the time we returned to the square, we skidded towards the ramp in unison, the twins with their D-Boards shooting down first and manoeuvring in much easier than was possible for Wheel of Fortune, forcing me to disembark once at the base of the smooth ramp. I aided the machine into the shadows, followed by the rattling of the garage door as it descended, its control hanging in Lua's hand. His attention, as was Luca's, had been directed to the scene in front of us – while Crow and Bruno had vanished, the figure of Izayoi Aki had materialized in their place, standing close to where Yusei's D-Wheel would have rested. The woman turned to face us, her face seemingly displaying a small degree of shock that she had been discovered.

"Aki-neechan?" Lua spoke, puzzled by her appearance in the building while Yusei was gone. It had become clear to us all that she had developed a special affection for Yusei, though he appeared ignorant to it and she had not the courage to confess.

"Jack, Lua, Luca" she spoke, pacing towards us.

In that time, the twins removed their headgear and laid them onto the boards set against the wall, I followed the procedure in stripping my head and clutching it with one hand hanging casually. My eyes trailed Izayoi's form, it appeared she'd resorted to losing weight after attaining her D-Wheeler license, initially commenting that her outfit had been tight, though Crow's frequent comments pointed to her chest as the cause of such feeling rather than any other part of her body. Her lips remained sealed until she stood a few paces in front of her and halted.

"How long is Yusei supposed to be gone for?" she questioned. "It's been almost a week already".

Her mood had the underlying aggressive side that had made her infamous in the months past. Retaining that only earned her a stern glare in response, hardening stares locking with one another and threatening tension. Lua stepped forward, waving his arms with a nervous grin.

"Hey, hey, we're all on the same side" he spoke shakily. "We all what to know how Yusei's doing. Don't end up fighting".

Though it was tempting to snap at her – the woman who appeared to have forgotten everything else in favour of following Yusei's every step – I followed Lua's voice with a calming exhale. It wouldn't do anyone good to get aggravated and argue, especially with Luca present.

"I have no idea" I answered calmly after a moment of training my body back into a safe mood. "Yusei left a note before he left. We came back to check it for a way to contact him – the twins wish to speak with him – and we can find out if there was an estimate he gave of how long he'd be gone for".

"A note?" Izayoi answered, lifting her eyebrows.

I strode past without handing a response. A hissing breath sounded out behind, suggesting that the action had angered her, but the twins were quick behind me, jogging towards the desk that formed the backbone of Yusei's research. Lua reached for the keyboard of the left machine, fingers hovering over it.

"It's not on there" I answered before his fingers could punch down any of the keys.

The two shot puzzled and curious expressions, watching as I pulled open a notebook of lined papers left on the desk and flicking through it until a browned piece of paper emerged, bearing no horizontal lines but inked handwriting nonetheless. I peeled it from the cleaned sheets, presenting it to the twins, Luca raising her hands and relieving mine of its texture. Her eyes ran along the lines of text marking the sheet; first silently, then with moving lips.

"_I apologize for not speaking with everyone about this before, but I must leave Neo-Domino for a short time. I've received a letter about an old friend that I must check on. It seems he's been troubled since relocating to Crashtown, so I wish to check on him and ensure everything can improve. I shouldn't be gone too long, so please make sure everyone carries on – I shall return as soon as possible, the WRGP is still a priority for us. Take care, Yusei_" she read, voice trembling with anxiety as it became clearer throughout the note that no-one was to get any answers. Her hands dropped down, tears filling her eyes once more, dripping down her face. "Yusei…"

Lua jumped to his sister's side, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and leaning against her. "Don't cry, Luca" he yelped. "He said he won't be long".

"But there's nothing to help us" Izayoi sighed, folding her arms against her stomach, resting her chest on them. "Just that he's gone to see a friend – he doesn't even name them. How do we know this isn't a fake?"

"I know that's Yusei's handwriting" I answered.

I resumed examining the printed figures carefully. They matched Yusei's perfectly, it wasn't a forged note, but she brought up the scarily valid point that Yusei hadn't even named who he had gone after. Referring to them as an 'old friend' suggested he be from Yusei's time in Satellite, meaning it was more than likely Crow or myself would know who this friend would be, yet there was no name to attach to him.

"He can't have really planned to be gone for a whole week" Izayoi insisted. "Maybe we should talk to Security. Say I'm overreacting, but maybe it's an idea to file a missing person's report".

"Missing person?" Lua cried out.

"Izayoi, there's no need to upset the twins" I barked. She had a point in that it wasn't beyond the realm of the possible that something had happened to Yusei, but her way of going about it was only going to stress the twins out. "We should go about this slowly. For all we know, Yusei could be on his way back".

"But we can't be sure of that" Izayoi sighed. "We've all tried to get through to his D-Wheel using our own, but he's outside the range they can reach through. There's been a lot of strange things going on over the last few months, you can't count out something happening. What if he's been targeted by those guys again?"

"You told us the story yourself – the guys responsible for that were dealt with and arrested" I replied sharply. "That Sherry LeBlanc would have made contact if it had happened again".

Izayoi froze at the name of the female D-Wheeler that had also inspired her to take up the sport of riding a D-Wheel, wishing to take part in Riding Duels. My hands moved to the twins' shoulders, gripping one for each of their small bodies, though my sights were set firmly on Izayoi.

"We'll talk to Ushio and see what we should do rather than jumping in the deep end straight away" I suggested. "I'd like for him to come back now as much as anybody. You're concerned, but you're not the only one, Izayoi. Everyone is, even Crow, but he hides it better than anyone. We'll go to Security and do this the right way. Together".

"Right" Izayoi answered. She then hesitated, eyeing blinking at a faster rate than normal and appearing somewhat embarrassed. "The truth is though… I didn't come here on my D-Wheel".

The rest of us froze, not quite sure how to respond. Izayoi was usually one of the more responsible members of the group – now we had to deal with a lapse in judgement. I paced to the D-Wheels, snatching Crow's helmet from the seat of BlackBird and held it in front, each hand now grasping an incomplete head each.

"Here, Crow shouldn't give a damn" I said. "BlackBird is different from Bloody Kiss, you won't be able to work it. You'll just have to ride with me".

A blush washed across Izayoi's face; we were all aware that she had previously ridden with Yusei on his D-Wheel, but there was really no alternative this time either. I tossed the helmet to her, her gloved hands catching it with ease and holding it in front of her chest, appearing to contemplate her options. If she intended to reach Security in time, this would be her only way. The twins rushed across the room, snatching their D-Boards from the wall and throwing their helmets on, all while Izayoi deliberated. But while she was torn, I refused to even blink, watching her incessantly to emphasize what little time she to make a decision. She briefly chewed her lip and offered a response.

"Alright then" she said. "If there's really no other way".

Did she deliberate that much when faced with the same prospect in Yusei's company? I rolled my eyes; it was like another sign of her blind affection for him had clouded her judgment.

I allowed her to climb in Wheel of Fortune first and then moved in front, allowing her space and tuck the hanging tails of her dress to avoid catching them underneath its circular body. Lua activated the door once more and the three Momentum-powered machines braced themselves, racing out of the building and back onto the square. The route deviated quickly, however, and we sped in the direction of Security. Over the course of the journey, I went over what we should say in my mind a thousand times, each with a slight variation on its predecessor. But the meeting wouldn't go that way; nothing rehearsed plays out the practiced way.

The twins swayed from left to right, moving further ahead and pulling back – again, it was like they were taking the opportunity to play in order to take their mind off what was happening. I had to distract myself; riding with Izayoi was strange, her arms wrapped around me to avoid any accidents, chest against my back. And while I had no interest in her, it felt bizarre to have another riding with me, for a brief moment, I even wondered what it would be like to have Carly ride with me like this. But the confessions of mutual love had been forgotten, so for now, I had resolved to remain the stoic person she came to know; our love would surface again one day. Until then, there was normality.

Strangely, she was standing in front of Security when our group pulled up. It appeared as though we had all been guided to the same place once again – with the exception of Crow and Bruno. Carly turned and beamed upon realizing who had arrived and jumped down the steps leading up to the front doors of the headquarters.

"Jack, everyone" she cried happily, waving arms above her head.

"Carly-san" Luca answered whilst climbing from her board.

Shivers ran up Carly's body after realizing that Izayoi was behind me, clinging tightly and we proceeded to climb out together, her arms unwrapping themselves from my body.

"Ah… um…" was her jumbled response. "J- Jack, how are you all doing?"

"We're here to speak with Ushio" I answered, removing my helmet and tucking it under my arm. "Yusei left a while ago and we're a little concerned over how long he's be missing. We've come to talk to Ushio and get some advice".

"I see" Carly called, steam ejecting from her nostrils. "I knew coming here would lead me to a great scoop!"

"A scoop that you'll off for now" I instructed sharply. Carly stared at me in disbelief, rounded spectacles sliding down her nose. I slipped a hand under her arm, leading her away while the twins and Izayoi watched, unsure how they were supposed to react. "Don't pull anything funny. The twins are a bit upset, I'd rather you not talk much about this. The last thing we need is this whole thing posted everywhere with constant reminders for them. And make nothing of what you saw, Izayoi needed a ride".

Carly nodded numbly, also lost for words and unsure how she was meant to behave in the situation. We parted, turning to the others and commanded them inside. Mikage appeared, having been speaking with Kazama in the lobby before catching sight of us and approaching with a bright smile on her face.

"Atlus-sama" she chirped. "What brings you here?"

"We came to speak with Ushio about something" I answered bluntly.

For some reason, her mood seemed to drop. "I see" she mumbled. "I'll find out where he is and get him to see you. Please wait here".

She turned her back and strolled away, leaving the rest of us to exchange few words. It appeared we were all equally uncomfortable in the heart of the Security organization. Moments later, Ushio appeared with Mikage, striding towards us with a smile across his face. Extending a hand warmly towards us.

"How are you guys?" he asked casually.

"We're well, thank you" Izayoi answered on behalf of the group. "We came here to ask for some advice".

"Oh? What can I help you with?"

Luca lifted her arms, presenting the note she had tucked away after reading. Ushio eyed the paper curiously and gently removed it from the child's hands, examining it with intrigue written clearly on his face. Mikage craned her neck in order to examine the paper with her own eyes, though stretching her body in order to match the level Ushio held the sheet at.

"It's been a week since Yusei left" I explained. "Ordinarily, we wouldn't consider anything bad happening, but there are a number of factors we're concerned about".

"Yeah, there are still people after Yusei" Lua added. "Like the people who kidnapped him before".

Ushio hummed thoughtfully, shaking his head after a moment. "Those people weren't the sharpest tools in the shed. Based on what happened last time, I highly doubt they'd be organized enough to pull of an abduction like this. You say he's been gone a week, but there would have been a string of clues; Yusei's statement about what happened last time indicated that breaking out wouldn't have been that difficult had he been in a stationary room".

"So they don't have him" Lua summarized.

"What a relief" Luca sighed, laying a hand against her chest.

"We were wondering if it would be right to file a missing persons report" Izayoi confessed, raising a clenched hand in front of her chest. "While we understand Yusei wrote that note and he's travelled to another place, it's been a while and there's been nothing from him. He didn't even name the person he's gone to see".

"I see" Ushio replied, grabbing his chin thoughtfully whilst reading through the note once more. "I'll start some research and have some officers investigate what's going on in this Crashtown. When we have a clearer picture of what's going on, we'll contact you all".

"Thank you" I answered. "We appreciate it".

"Mikage-san, thank you as well" Izayoi added, centring in on the ormer-secretary.

We retreated with Ushio's promise fresh in our minds, plotting to return. All we could do now was wait. Carly jogged a short distance and presented her rigid body with a salute, grinning the whole time.

"I'll see what I can find out about Crashtown as well" she claimed. "Maybe we can find someone that knows who Yusei went after".

"Right" I replied. "Just make sure not to say anything that may get back to your media friends".

"I wouldn't give away something like this!" Carly barked, pointing accusingly towards the rest of us.

"And you're not going to do anything about it either" I growled, just to ensure she wouldn't try to sell out Yusei's potential predicament. "If I find out you've done something to jeopardize any search and keeping this under wraps, you'll find out".

Her body jerked and jumped back, squealing with fear of the implied repercussions. With sharp bends across the body, she nodded in understanding how severe the warning was. She parted then, heading in the direction of the Daimon Area, whereas the rest of us returned to Poppo Time, Izayoi laying Crow's helmet back in its place before he could wander in and discover it missing if he hadn't already. She appeared agitated from the lack of getting any closer to finding how what had happened to Yusei, rubbing the palms of her hands against her face.

"Aki-san, you look tired" Luca commented.

"Maybe you should get some sleep before class tomorrow" Lua suggested.

Izayoi masked a gentle smile to the youngsters, though her eyes revealed the extent of her fatigue and fears. "Yeah, you're right" she sighed. "I'll catch up with you guys tomorrow then".

The parting was brief, simple waves and exchanges of farewells before Izayoi passed through the doors at the top of the cement staircase. With her gone, I could finally release some of the stress I myself felt, moving to the sofa and dropping onto it, folding my hands and resting my forehead against their bridge. Lua and Luca moved over, now witness to how exhausting the past week had been – stress over what could be nothing.

"Jack?" Luca uttered softly. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" I sighed, unable to hide the real face of my state. "Just a little worn out".

"You don't look so good, maybe you should rest as well" Lua offered, leaning forward and tilting his head.

I pulled back, setting my eyes on the two. Their nervous faces were too much; I couldn't possibly get angry at them. They were children, suffering all the same as the rest of us – older Signers who had suffered many more hardships in our pasts, but enduring all the same.

"Jack" Luca sounded again. "Yusei'll be okay, right?"

I couldn't answer her immediately, but my eyes wandered towards the small windows at the tops of the walls where daylight could seep in. Then back to their sorrowful gazes. In all honesty, I couldn't be sure, I was wondering myself. But praying he was, for their sakes as much as for his.


End file.
